I thought, among other reasons, it would be good to have a wood stove in the event of a power failure, a ginormous price run-up on heating oil, etc. I had been urged to go with a pellet stove, but I didn't like that it still required power. I was also advised to get a generator rather than a wood stove, so I could continue to run the boiler if the power went out. I went with a wood stove anyway, because it just made more sense to me, and now I'm glad I did.
When my just-in-case happened, it came a lot sooner than I figured it might (mine was scheduled for maybe-someday), and it was one I hadn't envisioned: my boiler died.
The electronic boiler controls (both sets) failed, as many others did after the prolonged ice storm of November, and the boiler kept running, until it ran the glycol dry (no make-up system) and the thing overheated and almost set the garage on fire.
Since my woodstove was up and running for all of this heating season, and I used it almost daily as my primary heat source, and I had firewood on hand, and dry storage for my firewood, a sled, a splitting maul, and the routines established for cleaning out the stove, starting fires, managing ashes, and warm indoor storage of the gradations of wood size needed, I will probably get through this with only (relatively) minor inconveniences and a modicum of stress. All of these steps may sound pretty inconsequential, but they took time, research, and sometimes a few bucks to get them fully functional. I'd solve one problem, and discover the next, deal with that, learn about another, until I had a pretty functional routine happening. I'm still concerned about how this is going to work out, since the lows forecast this week range down to -30/-45F, and I've set my boiler to kick in when the house temps dropped to 61F. However, I feel a bit like the organizations that drill for emergencies so often that they have a plan in place when it happens. It's not perfect, but it beats hollow what it could have been.
What I learned:
emergencies may seem theoretical, but they happen, and sometimes aren't what you'd envisioned;
they don't necessarily wait until you have all your ducks lined up and quacking in chorus;
most important, if you live `as if', even if only for a limited period of time, you'll work through a lot of minor glitches that could be major problems if things go south unexpectedly.
If you've already put in your time living as you would if the `what if' happened, then you can get on to adapting to whatever is unique about that particular situation. I feel like I'm bollixing what I'm trying to say, but I hope you'll extend the effort to try to make sense of it.
Put another way: if I had kept this stove as I originally envisioned it, as a use-it-sometimes, keep it on hand for just-in-case thing, and just set wood heating aside `for later' when I ran into challenges, I'd be a lot more concerned about my situation. By diving in (even without a perfect wood supply and set-up in place) and living with this as if it were my 24-7 only source of heat for the last four months, I'm feeling much more ready to get through January without the oil-fired boiler.
These months have been my shake-down cruise, and I highly recommend that to those of you who are living with wood as an occassional thing, but are counting on it as a back-up if `whatever' comes to pass. Put yourself on a wood-only diet for at least a few weeks, and work through some of the glitches while it's still theoretical.
One other word of advice I'd share: if you have a boiler with electronic controls, invest in a battery back-up system (the kind they sell for computers) as a tempering system. It may save your boiler, garage, perhaps even lives.
Anyone else found themselves living out the `what if' that your woodstove was supposed to cover? If so, please chime in on this thread and share any wisdom you picked up from the experience.
When my just-in-case happened, it came a lot sooner than I figured it might (mine was scheduled for maybe-someday), and it was one I hadn't envisioned: my boiler died.
The electronic boiler controls (both sets) failed, as many others did after the prolonged ice storm of November, and the boiler kept running, until it ran the glycol dry (no make-up system) and the thing overheated and almost set the garage on fire.
Since my woodstove was up and running for all of this heating season, and I used it almost daily as my primary heat source, and I had firewood on hand, and dry storage for my firewood, a sled, a splitting maul, and the routines established for cleaning out the stove, starting fires, managing ashes, and warm indoor storage of the gradations of wood size needed, I will probably get through this with only (relatively) minor inconveniences and a modicum of stress. All of these steps may sound pretty inconsequential, but they took time, research, and sometimes a few bucks to get them fully functional. I'd solve one problem, and discover the next, deal with that, learn about another, until I had a pretty functional routine happening. I'm still concerned about how this is going to work out, since the lows forecast this week range down to -30/-45F, and I've set my boiler to kick in when the house temps dropped to 61F. However, I feel a bit like the organizations that drill for emergencies so often that they have a plan in place when it happens. It's not perfect, but it beats hollow what it could have been.
What I learned:
emergencies may seem theoretical, but they happen, and sometimes aren't what you'd envisioned;
they don't necessarily wait until you have all your ducks lined up and quacking in chorus;
most important, if you live `as if', even if only for a limited period of time, you'll work through a lot of minor glitches that could be major problems if things go south unexpectedly.
If you've already put in your time living as you would if the `what if' happened, then you can get on to adapting to whatever is unique about that particular situation. I feel like I'm bollixing what I'm trying to say, but I hope you'll extend the effort to try to make sense of it.
Put another way: if I had kept this stove as I originally envisioned it, as a use-it-sometimes, keep it on hand for just-in-case thing, and just set wood heating aside `for later' when I ran into challenges, I'd be a lot more concerned about my situation. By diving in (even without a perfect wood supply and set-up in place) and living with this as if it were my 24-7 only source of heat for the last four months, I'm feeling much more ready to get through January without the oil-fired boiler.
These months have been my shake-down cruise, and I highly recommend that to those of you who are living with wood as an occassional thing, but are counting on it as a back-up if `whatever' comes to pass. Put yourself on a wood-only diet for at least a few weeks, and work through some of the glitches while it's still theoretical.
One other word of advice I'd share: if you have a boiler with electronic controls, invest in a battery back-up system (the kind they sell for computers) as a tempering system. It may save your boiler, garage, perhaps even lives.
Anyone else found themselves living out the `what if' that your woodstove was supposed to cover? If so, please chime in on this thread and share any wisdom you picked up from the experience.
